It is common to provide a drop-down type tailgate for a motor vehicle such as a pickup truck. Such vehicles are used to carry a wide variety of objects, such as furniture, appliances, lumber, tools, and other bulky items. A major hazard associated with carrying objects in a pickup truck bed with a drop-down tailgate is that they may come loose and roll off the bed and tailgate, particularly where the size of the item requires that the item be transported with the tailgate in the down position. Objects extending from the rear of such a vehicle, with the tailgate down, also create a hazard for other vehicles that follow behind the extending load.
Thus there presently exists a need for a extension device that is compact when stowed yet readily openable to extend the useful area, including the ends and sides, of a vehicle tailgate. A particularly unmet need in the art is a tailgate extension that provides for multiple configurations, whereby the amount of increased space is selectable at the option of the user.